I recently came across this funny video of a cannon...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo8Q88bAXyQ

LOLOLOLOLOL HAHAHAHA

Different Types of Energy

Energy is something that's all around us, in everything. The reason it has the ability to be in anything is because there are so many forms of it. Firstly, the two main forms are potential energy and kinetic energy.

This has a lot of potential energy

Kinetic Energy is the energy of a moving object. It considers the mass and velocity of the object when calculating the energy.

Potential Energy is the energy that the object has the potential of producing. There are many forms of this, the most simple being gravitational potential energy. That is when the object is not on the ground; it has the potential to accelerate towards the ground by gravity.

There are many more types of energy that root from potential and kinetic, they include: mechanical energy, heat energy, chemical energy, elastic energy, sound energy, and nuclear energy.

Mechanical energy is the combination of potential and kinetic energy. It is the energy associated with the motion or position of an object.

Heat energy is pretty much in everything. Unless the molecules of the particular item isn't moving at all, there will always be heat energy; although some things seem really cold, their molecules are still moving, although they are moving very slowly. It can be either potential or kinetic energy

This has potential energy too (elastic)

Chemical energy is produced when a chemical reaction occurs; it is a form of potential energy, because it involves energy that an object has the potential of producing.

Elastic energy is another form of potential energy produced when something is stretched out. It has the ability to return to its original shape, causing energy.

Sound energy is a form of kinetic energy. It is caused by movement, mostly a vibration that travels through a specific medium. The pressure is what usually causes the sound.

Nuclear energy is a form of potential energy since its the energy stored in specific atoms. Two types exist: nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. Nuclear fission is when the atoms and molecules release energy when they split while nuclear fusion is when atoms produce energy when they are joined together. Nuclear fusion normally occurs at very high temperatures

cannons shoot stuff

Currently, in the wonderful physics class of Mr. Chung, we are required to prepare cannons that fire STUFF out of just cans and duct tape. How? Well I don't really know but here is what i do know about cannons:


-Cannons shoot stuff to cause DESTRUCTION
Throughout history, cannons have been pretty much the oldest style of artillery fire used for warfare. They fire heavy objects at incredible speeds, (Force=mass x acceleration according to Newton) which means that they fire with a lot of force. Therefore, they have the capability to do incredible damage.


-The ammunition for a cannon should be round and smooth.
Throughout history, the ammunition used for cannons have evolved for a simple cannonball (just as the name suggests it's a sphere...) to missile shaped objects. The reason for this is because the object that is utilized has to counteract air resistance as good as possible to fire the longest distance possible at the greatest speed possible. Round and smooth objects can carve through the air better than boxy and bumpy objects.


-Kinematics equation for Range is a good equation to use to determine the maximum distance the cannon can fire.

(d=V1²sin2θ/g)

-Cannons should be placed at a 45 degree angle to the horizontal to maximize the distance fired.

This is because increasing the angle will increase airtime for the projectile while the angle can't be increased too much since it won't fire forward anymore. For example, if the cannon is pointed at over 90 degrees, the projectile will fire backwards (into your own people...) while a 90 degree angle will cause the projectile to fire straight up (and it lands into your own people...) and an angle higher than 45 degrees won't have as much of a velocity in the x-axis. This means to achieve the most ideal distance, a 45 degree angle should be utilized.

Newtons Problems

These days in physics class, we're learning new stuff about Newton. First of all, he devised 3 laws:

1. The law of inertia : Things don't like to stop doing what they're already doing (lazy) e.g if the object is moving it doesn't like to stop and if the object is still, it doesn't like to get up and move.

2. Force = Mass x Acceleration

3. For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction.

With these three laws, there are many different questions known as "Newton Problems" that can be devised. The four simplest ones being objects in equilibrium, objects static on an incline, objects kinetic on an incline, pulleys, and trains.

EQUILIBRIUM

When an object is considered to be in "equilibrium" it means that the object is in a state where all the forces acting upon it are balanced and it is stationary. No acceleration in the x OR y direction is present.

Therefore, for these types of questions, the resultant Force (net force) should equate to zero; or at least very close to 0.



An object in equilibrium



Assumptions for equilibrium questions:

-no air resistance/friction

-no acceleration in the x or y direction

-1 free body diagram in total

-Fg = mg = m(9.8) = Fn, in which Fn is the force keeping the object up

-there's a constant positive axis

-forces acting on the x-axis are equal on both directions





STATIC INCLINE

When an object is static while being on an incline, this means that the object is on a slant, at an angle just before the force of gravity overcomes the force of the friction pulling it back. The object is still in equilibrium, there is no acceleration in either the x or y direction.

Therefore, for these sorts of questions, the sum of all forces acting upon the object should still equate to 0.

Assumptions for static incline:

-no air resistance

-no acceleration in the x or y direction

-1 FBD

-positive axis on a slant dependent on the direction the incline is facing (if the incline is like /, the left will be positive)

-Friction static = miu static x Force normal, in which miu static is the coefficient of friction in this case (also the tan of theta [the angle measured for the incline])

-gravity is split into the x and y component (y is usually opposed by the normal force and x is usually opposed by friction)

KINETIC INCLINE

When the object is kinetic on an incline, this means there is acceleration and there IS motion of the object (due to gravity) as opposed to static when the object is held still by friction. In this case, there is also friction, but it is overpowered by gravity.

For these sorts of questions, the net force no longer sums to 0. There will be a direction of travel. 

Assumption for kinetic incline: 

-no air resistance

-acceleration is consistent (not 0)

-1 FBD

-positive axis on a slant dependent on the direction the incline is facing (the direction the object travels)

-Friction kinetic = miu kinetic x force normal, in which force normal is equivalent to the force of gravity (y), which is in turn the mass of the object multiplied by gravity (9.8)

-gravity > friction (that's why the object is moving)

PULLEYS

A pulley is a tool where there are two objects (yes that means 2 free body diagrams now) where they are connected by a rope of cable of some sort. This means that the side with the heavier object will dominate the side with the lighter object.

The net force should not be 0 unless the mass is equivalent on both sides of the pulley.

Assumptions for pulleys:

-frictionless pulley

-frictionless rope/cable

-no air resistance

-2 systems -> 2 FBDs

-T1=T2 (the tention on both sides of the pulley should be equivalent due to Newton's 3rd law)

-acceleration is the same in the y direction

-positive axis on the direction of travel (one side will be going down, and one side will going up)



TRAINS

Trains are pretty much pulleys, except rather than having movement on the y-axis, their movement is on the x-axis. BTW trains are exactly what they sound like (chugga chugga chugga choo choo) One mass pulling the rest.

Net force is in one direction, and greater than 0 because friction is overpowered by the applied force.

Assumptions for trains:

-2+ FBD (as many as there are parts added)

-no air resistance

-acceleration in the y-axis = 0

-cables weightless

-the direction of the + axis is the direction of acceleration

-acceleration is consistent

Projectile Motion

So for the past two days, physics class was composed of determining projectile motion

On the first day, we all attempted an experiment with a marble and a ramp on a table. The marble was rolled off the ramp, and the elapsed time was taken from the point the marble left the table to the point it hit the ground.

On the second day, we just learned the conceptual stuff behind projectile motion.

So basically, when an object it released at speed, the gravity is taken into account while the object slowly drops.
However, there are two points in which to take into consideration. The first one being the movement on the x-axis (horizontal movement), and the second one being the movement on the y-axis (vertical movement). The horizontal movement is always at a constant velocity (the velocity at which the object was released), and the vertical movement requires the addition of gravity (9.81 m/s²). Usually, the vertical component begins with a V1 of 0, because it is dropped onto the ground, therefore, there is no initial velocity. Also, the height of the object is usually the distance the y component travels before it hits the ground.

Furthermore, the elapsed time of the x component should be equivalent to the time for the y component. Knowing these facts, many different pieces of information can be obtained using the big 5 equations.

That is a brief summary of projectile motion :)

Rollercoasters are Fun

Mostly, people don't really care about the physics of rollercoasters or how they work. They just enjoy going on them because they're FUN! :) However, being the curious student that I am hehehe... I am interested in how they work.

That guy has the BEST reaction EVER!

Believe it or not, rollercoasters do not have engines to propel them at the exhilerating speeds they go at. Instead, they are brought up by a track to the highest point of the coaster. At the top, they are released and for the rest of the ride, they are just released and left to travel on the power of gravity. In other words, when the coasters are being brought up, they obtain potential energy. The potential energy is then converted into kinetic energy on the way down. Sounds familiar? This concept is the Law of Conservation Energy. For rollercoasters to continuously move, the altitude has to continuously drop.

To answer the question of my favourite rollercoaster, the one that I've been on that I like the most is probably the SkyRider at Wonderland. I don't even know why, but it just felt the most fun. It isn't the fastest rollercoaster, the tallest one, but for some reason, I like it the most. Also, in my opinion, the faster the rollercoaster... the better it is!! WEEEEEEEE

Adding Vectors

Sooo, yet another new topic to learn about in the wonderful world of physics.

How do I begin...? Well, adding vectors is basically to determine the closest distance between two points (displacement) Using Mr. Chung's analogy, basically let one point represent A.Y. Jackson, and the second point represent the Pacific Mall. Although utilizing this analogy requires the location of A.Y. Jackson to vary, it is very useful.

Basically, adding straight vectors usually produce a diagonal line to represent the closest distance between the two points. These two vectors can therefore be calculated using the pythagorean theorem. After the determining the length of the hypoteneuse, you then have to determine the orientation and the direction of the hypoteneuse using sin/cos/tan in which the angle has to be measured as the part that is outside of the angle at the origin. (in this case it's 90-feta if the orientation is NE and it's feta if the orientation is SW)



For vectors that begin as a diagonal line, all you need to do is calculate the distance on the two sides (that create the triangle) using sin/cos. Apply the previous logics and voila!

 Now you know how to calculate vectors!



Equation 4 Relation to the V/T Graph

Equation 4: d=V2Δt-½aΔt²

This is the second equation used to determine the displacement (d), and since we are required to first calculate the area between the slope and x-axis, there are two methods of doing this. The first method was equation 3, add the area of the small rectangle to the triangle. The second method is to calculate the area of the large rectangle and subtract the area of the triangle.

Coincidently, there are two parts. V2Δt and ½aΔt² where the first part is the rectangle and the second one is the triangle.

The area of a rectangle is Base x Height whereas V2 is the height and t2-t1 is the base.
A = v2(t2-t1)
A = v2(Δt)

The area of the triangle is Base x Height / 2 whereas v2-v1 is the height and t2-t1 is the base. But from equation 1: v2-v1=aΔt.
A = ½Δt(v2-v1)
A = ½ΔtaΔt
A = ½aΔt²

Thus, d=V2Δt-½aΔt²

Equation 3 Relation to the V/T Graph

Equation 3 is: d=V1Δt+½aΔt²

and...

there are two standard points in the graph (t1, v1) and (t2, v2).

To determine the displacement (d), we are required to calculate the area between the slope and the x-axis, and there are two sections for this. The first one (lower one) is a rectangle and the second one is a triangle.

Coincidently, there are two parts for equation 3 as well. v1Δt and ½aΔt².

The area of a rectangle is defined by the formula Base x Height, where the height is v1 and the base is t2-t1.
A = v1(t2-t1)
A = v1(Δt)

The area of a triangle is defined by the formula Base x Height / 2. As we learned earlier, base is represented by Δt, and the height in this case is v2-v1. Also, from equation 1, v2-v1=aΔt.
A = ½Δt(v2-v1)
A = ½ΔtaΔt
A = ½aΔt²

Thus, d=vΔt+½aΔt²

Translations of Graphs



Graph 1 (Distance vs. Time)



1. Stay at a distance of 1m for 1 second.

2. Walk 1.5m in 2 seconds (0.75 m/s) away from the origin.

3. Stay at a distance of 2.5m for 3 seconds.

4. Walk back 0.75m in 1.5 seconds (0.5 m/s) towards the origin.

5. Stay at a distance of 1.75m for 2.5 s.

Graph 2 (Distance vs. Time)



1. Start at a distance of 3m from the origin. Walk back towards the origin 1.5m in 3 s (0.5 m/s)

2. Stay at a distance of 1.5m for 1 s.

3. Run back towards the origin 1m in 1 second (1 m/s).

4. Stay at a distance of 0.5m for 2 s.

5. Run away from the origin 2.5m in 3 seconds (0.83 m/s)



Graph 3 (Velocity vs. Time)



1. Stay still for 2 seconds.
2. Walk away from the origin at 0.5 m/s for 3 seconds
3. Stay still for 2 seconds.
4. Walk towards the origin at 0.5 m/s for 3 seconds.

Graph 4 (Velocity vs. Time)

1. Slowly accelerate away from the origin to 0.5 m/s in 4 seconds

2. Continue walking away from the origin at 0.5 m/s for 2 seconds.

3. Turn around and walk towards the origin at 0.4 m/s for 3 seconds.

4. Stop and stay still for 1 second.

Graph 5 (Distance vs. Time)

1. Start at a distance of 0.8m from the origin and walk away 1m in 3.5 s (0.29 m/s)

2. Stay at a distance of 1.8m for 3.25 s.

3. Continue walking away from the origin for 1.4m in 2.25 s (0.62 m/s)

Graph 6 (Velocity vs. Time)

1. Walk away from the origin at 0.35 m/s for 3 seconds.

2. Walk back towards the origin at 0.35 m/s for 3.5 seconds.

3. Stand still at that position for 3.5 seconds.

My (Unsuccessful) Motor

Soooo, today in class we had an assignment to complete and test a motor we built with garbage lying around our house. At the end, the motor was supposed to turn three complete rotations for the project to be deemed as a "pass". After a few attempts to complete the motor, it still ultimately failed to spin. The reason for the failure is still uncertain but I for one, am not content that my motor did not function :(. During the test run, only one spark lit up and nothing happened from then on. I guess we'll have to figure it out tomorrow...

Here's a picture of me holding my unsuccessful motor...

Right Hand Rules

Okay so today we learned about two different right hand rules to determine properties of a magnet.

Right-Hand Rule #1 (RHR #1) (for conductors)

1. Utilizing the conventional current theory, place your hand so that your thumb follows the direction of the current. (negative side)

2. Curl your fingers following the curvature of the magnet.

3. The direction your curled fingers point indicates the direction the magnetic field around the conductor.

Right-Hand Rule #2 (RHR #2) (for coiled electromagnets)

1. Conventional current moves from positive to negative.

2. Place your hand around the coiled electromagnet with your fingers pointing the same direction as the current flow.

3. The direction your thumb is pointing indicates the north end of the electromagnet (N).

New Subject: Magnitism!

Once again, we were assigned to write a ten point blog about what we learned from pg 582-589, this time it's about magnitism. Here goes...



OMG it's floating with magic!!!
(no sorry kids it's just magnetism)



1. A magnetic field is the first topic among magnetism. It is portrayed as the distribution of a magnetic force in the region of a magnet.

2. Magnets are usually associated with the north and south poles. These two different poles are responsible for magnetic forces. With this knowledge, similars repel and dissimilars attract (similar to many things in life...) So basically, north poles will repel the north pole of another magnet while the same applies for the south poles. North poles will, however, attract (or stick on to) south poles.

3. To measure magnetic forces within an area or object, a device called the test compass is used. It determines the prescence of a magnetic force.

4. There are also metals that exist that are not magnetic, but they can still be attracted by magnets. Examples can include iron, nickel, cobalt, or any mixture of the three. These are known was ferromagnetic metals.



Explanation of the Domain Theory



5. In fact, there was even a theory determined for these "ferromagnetic metals". The theory is known as the Domain Theory of Magnets. This theory basically states that all magnets are composed of a large number of smaller and flexible magnets that can interact with each other. These smaller magnets are known as dipoles. When these dipoles within a large magnet line up, a magnetic domain will be produced which will then produce a magnetic charge.

6. Since in the past, magnets could not provide a stable application for permanent use, technology stepped in once again to produce electromagnets. This produces strong and dependable magnets which can also be adjusted strength-wise. Normal magnets would've been impractical in their place because their strength can deteriorate over time and will remain on constantly.

Shows the motion of Oerstead's
discovery.

7. Many scientists in history tried to determine the common element between electrostatics and magnetism. Among all of these though, Hans Christian Oersted concluded with an important discovery which is now known as Oersted's Principle. It states that the charge moving through a conductor is constantly producing a circular magnetic field around the conductor.

8. Following Oerstead's discoveries, many other scientists developed a number of hand signals for people to predict how specific magnetic forces act. These hand signals are known as Right-hand rules because they all involve your right hand. There is a total of three right-hand rules.

Diagram explaining how to utilize
the first right-hand rule.

9. The first right-hand rule is used to determine the direction of current flow in a conductor. It is known as the Right-hand rule #1 for conventional current flow (conductors). You have to grasp the conductor with the thumb of your right hand pointing towards the positive current flow. Then, the fingers that are curled indicates the direction of the magnetic field around the conductor.

Diagram explaining how to utilize the second
right-hand rule.

10. The second right-hand rule is used to determine the direction of current flow within a coiled (stronger than the conductor magnet) electromagnet. It is known as the Right-hand rule #2 for conventional current flow (coils). You grasp the coiled conductor with your right hand so the thumb points at the direction of the magnetic field or positive end (thumb respresents the north end of the electromagnet). Once again, the curled fingers will represent the direction the current is flowing.

This concludes my third set of 10 points I have learned. Thank you for reading!! :)

10 MORE points!

Now today's topic for the fifth blog so far, will be a continuation of current electricity and circuitry. So here are 10 (more) points about those two topics from pages 553-563. In other words, here is what I learned from reading 10 pages.

1. The measurement of opposition to the current flow is known as electrical resistance. To determine the resistance one must first discover the quantities of potential difference across the load and the current passing through the load. Therefore, knowing this, the equation can be developed. R (Resistance) = V (potential difference) / I (Current). The result is measured in units known as the "ohm" (Ω). One ohm is equivalent to one volt one volt of potential difference flowing through a current of one ampere.


This is Ohm's triangle which corresponds
with his formulas calculating resistance



2. The unit of ohms was named after Georg Simon Ohm who discovered that the V/I ratio was always consistent if the same resistor was used. The ratio he discovered is now known as Ohm's law.

3. There are many different ways to determine the resistance of something. Firstly, thinner wires usually have a higher resistance than a thicker wire. Other determining factors include the material of the conductor, the temperature (usually higher temp = higher resistance), the length (longer = more resistance), and even the cross-sectional area (wider = less resistance).

4. There is also something known as superconductivity (awesome name, I know). It is basically just the ability of a material to conduct electricity without any heat loss from electrical resistance. The first superconductors that were created only worked at low temperatures (how useless..) however, in recent years a high-temperature superconducting material known as HTSs at, well, higher temperatures. In fact, the HTSs work at temperatures over twice as high as the old superconductors.

Series (right) vs. Parallel (left)

5. At a review, now I will begin to discuss about series and parallel circuits. A series circuit is created when the loads are connected on a single path (in a series, obviously). In a parallel circuit on the other hand, the loads are placed in parallel (seriously). In other words, they're placed side by side and the connection could be cut off seperately.

This is Kirchhoff!!

6. A man by the name of Kirchhoff composed two very important laws that are beneficial to the circuits. The first one is his current law. It simply states that the total amount of current that flows into a junction point is equivalent to the total current that flows out of that same junction.

Diagram for his current law



7. The second law Kirchhoff created was his voltage law. This one states that the total of all electrical potential decreases in any complete circuit will be equal to the potential increases in the same circuit.

8. Utilizing Kirchhoff's voltage and current laws, we can determine loads within a parallel circuit would receive less power than a series circuit. Since in parallel circuits there are more junctions, the energy is further split up to provide power to all junctions rather than flowing in a straight path like in a series circuit. This means that loads in a series circuit could receive more power (therefore producing a more powerful load) than loads in a parallel circuit.

9. Kirchhoff's laws are also corresponding with the laws of conservation of electric charge and the conservation of energy. This means that in any circuit, there will be no random gains or losses of charge or energy.

10. Also noted in the pages that were assigned, there was a definition for the gauge number. First thing that came up to mind was something about a shotgun... but it is in fact a code used to determine the cross-sectional area of a wire. One that possesses a small gauge number has a greater cross-sectional area as to a large number which indicates a smaller cross-sectional area

There are the 10 points I have learned from page 553-563 in the textbook. I hope you enjoy reading this more than I enjoyed writing, because in these pages it was quite difficult to cough up 10 whole points of information! Thanks for reading!! :)

Prelab Table

Sooo, today in science class, we were able to try out voltmeters and ammeters as a prelab. It was VERY confusing at first but ended up to be quite fun. I can't wait for how the real lab will turn out to be! Below is the table involved with the prelab. (Click on it to get an enlarged view)

The Energy Ball! -12 Questions

Hello again! As of the 10th of September, our class received envolopes comprised of happy faces :)!! On the happy faces were questions asked about a special "$130" ping pong ball. The questions in order are:

1. Can you make the energy ball work? What do you think makes the ball flash and hum?

Yes, we definitely made the energy ball work. Since the energy ball had two strands of metals, when we connected our fingers to both sides, the ball started flashing and humming. The reason is that we worked as a conductor to transfer electrons over to the other side, which therefore, completed the circuit.

2. Why do you have to touch both metal contacts to make the ball work?

The electrons within the circuit have to physically transfer over to the other side of the ball. If we ended up only touching one side, we would take in the electrons, but they will not carry towards the load.

3. Will the ball light up if you connect the contacts with any other material?

As long as the material is a conductor (e.g. copper), it should work just fine.

4. Which material will make the energy ball work? Test your hypothesis.

At first we believed most metals would work. We tested the hypothesis with a spoon which we bended to follow the curvature of the ball. It ended up working nicely.

5. This ball does not work on certain individuals, what could cause this to happen?

We believed that since a high percentage of the human body is water, it was the moisture within our skin which conducted the electricity. Therefore, I believe the ball would not work with people with dry skin. Also, we tested whether the ball would work if we connected it with our knuckles. In the end, it didn't work. That means perhaps people suffering from anorexia or perhaps just REALLY bony people would not be able to function the ball properly. The reason is because there is little moisture in the bone and when there isn't enough skin to cover it, it will not conduct as well.

6. Can you make the energy ball work with all 5-6 individuals in your group? Will it work with your class?

It worked with our entire group connecting hands. At the end, it also worked while attempting the class challenge. (Even though Mr.Chung was disappointed with the involvement of many classmates D:)

7. What kind of circuit can you form with one energy ball?

My group successfully created a simple circuit with the lone ball. As we connected hands, it allowed the power supply to transfer electrons over to the load. As soon as one person let go, it acted as a switch and the electron flow discontinued, resulting in an open circuit.

Series Circuit

8. Given two balls (two groups): can you create a circuit where both lights up?

Yes, there was a situation where while connecting two balls, both lit up. As long as a series circuit was produced (flow through a load onto another load), it would work.

9. What do you think will happen if one person lets go of the other person's hand?

As soon as the connection is terminated, the electron flow would stop and the circuit would seize to operate.

10. Does it matter who lets go?

In the series circuit, no, it won't matter who lets go because as long as someone does, the flow would stop. However, in a parallel circuit, it would depend which load will be disconnected, the corresponding load would stop working while the others will continue operating.

Parallel Circuit

11. Can you create a circuit where only one ball lights up?

It can be created, and once it is, the result would be a parallel circuit with one part of the circuit disconnected from only one ball.

12.What is the minimm number of people required to complete this?

It is very possible with only one person, although he would require quite flexible fingers...

SERIES vs. PARALLEL Circuits

A series circuit is one in which the loads are connected on a single path. The electrons then flow through a load into another load. A parallel circuit is one where they are connected side by side. In a series circuit, the flow is similar to the flow of a simple circuit, only producing energy to more loads. A parallel circuit is different however. The loads are seperated and they can be disconnected one by one unlike in a series circuit. For example, if there is a series circuit composed of 3 lightbulbs, there would be one switch (even if there was more, it would serve the same function) that once closed, would turn off all 3 lightbulbs. In a parallel circuit however, there could be seperate switches for each of the lightbulbs and when one is switched off, the others can still be powered.

Additional Information

-Lightbulbs in a series circuit would be brighter than those in a parallel circuit because rather than seperating electrons, all of them can move through each resistor.

-In a series circuit, if one resistor is disconnected the rest will also stop working because the electron flow would be nulled.

-In a house, a parallel circuit is used so one thing could be turned off while another stays on. Also, if a fuse was to break, only one section of the house would lack power.

My Second Blog!!! yay... (no sarcasm intended :D)

-> Physics of Tall Structures:

Naturally, structure-wise, taller structures tend to be quite less stable compared to shorter ones, obviously. As a result, when designing and developing taller structures for an intent to use it (not as a competition for building tall newspaper structures only to destroy them :( ), many more cautions must be provided to stabilize the structure. Personally, my structure stood nice and tall at an amazing 187 cm without (much) difficulty.  As our group completed the structure first, the secret is aligned with the fact that we did not spend any time planning. We went straight to building relying solely on improvisation. We acknowledged the fact that a stable structure is one with a heavier foundation and a lighter tip (similar to the CN tower). Some other structures had a great foundation, but the tip wasn't light enough which resulted in an uneven balance near the top portion of the structure. To counter that, my group tucked the rods deeper into the supporting rods. At the end, to provide extra stability, we developed a tripod-like design to support the base. All these characteristics combined was what provided the most successful structure in the class :P

-> What Makes a Tall Structure Stable

There are many characteristics which I have determined to provide stability within a taller structure. I will list them below:

1.Large foundation

2.Stable connecting points (in the newspaper structure)

3.Good support below (maybe rods, beams, or a basement)

4.A center of gravity that is close to the center of the structure (horizontally)

5.A center of gravity that is as low as possible on the structure

6.The upper portion of the structure should be as lightweight as possible

7.The lower portion of the structure should be much heavier (provides stability)

8.Triangles/Cones/Pyramids would be the strongest foundation.

9.That's pretty much it :D

10.Oh yeah, symmetry helps as well

-> What is the Center of Gravity?! :O

The Center of Gravity is defined by the dictionary as "the collection of masses where all the weight of the object can be considered to be concentrated". However, this is a very confusing definition so I shall attempt to simplify it. What does it mean? Well, basically, it is a point of the structure (in this case) that determines the balance of the object. The center of gravity is usually determined by the mass distribution. For example, if the left side of an object weighs significantly more than the right side, the center of gravity will be placed further left than a similar object that is symmetrical. This produces unbalance within the object which will therefore increase the likelihood the object tilting towards the heavier side. Another problem within structures caused by the center of gravity is having one that is placed at a higher point. A high center of gravity will upset the balance once again. The high center of gravity will be caused by uneven weight distribution higher up the structure. It is known that the base of the structure should be quite a bit heavier and larger than the tip. Having a vice versa occasion could very easily cause the structure to topple.

This is a great example of where a good position of the center of gravity should be

BTW- Sorry, I lost the cable that connects my cell phone to my computer so a picture of my TOTALLY AWESOME STRUCTURE OF AWESOMENESS cannot be uploaded );